podcast 200 – Kermit Zarley on Reformation – Part 1

Nothing but the sound of chirping crickets from the White camp, since this: https://trinities.org/blog/some-clarifications-for-dr-white/ Really, he ought to debate me, as I can guarantee that my arguments will in no way “assume unitarianism” (which is his standard complaint wielded against any non-trinitarian reading of any biblical text). e.g. https://trinities.org/blog/podcast-189-the-unfinished-business-of-the-reformation/ And although I’m not a Craig-level debater, I ought to be able to do better than some of those White has debated. I don’t think he’d be bored!

Would gladly debate Dr. Craig – although I think he wants to avoid this topic, as he has stuck his neck out with his own controversial Trinity theory, as opposed to the usual obfuscation. I may contact him at some point.

Trinity is one topic, and “high christology” is another. But I would be interested in both. There are some possibilities for a hosting venue for somesuch debate with me, but as of now, nothing is concrete. I’m so eager not because I’m some sort of great debater – I’m not – but because I know the strength of my case and the importance of these topics for the body of Christ. It is important, though, to have a worthy opponent – someone who can actually engage my work, and who will actually have a clear enough position to critique.

The way the evangelical establishment is now, they just prefer to have these topics off the table. Or rather, they can only be put on the table by Muslims and “liberals.” Then we (evangelicals) can bang our cultural identity drum loudly and distinguish ourselves from those outsiders. The mind goes off, when matters are turned to us vs. them. Challenges by insiders, by their conservative Christian brethren, are just beyond the pale.

But this, of course, is crazy. It’s a sort of crazy we inherited from the 4th c. catholics and the 16th c. Magisterial reformers. We can debate Arminianism vs. Calvinism vs. open theism. We can debate congregational vs. episcopal. We can debate Protestant vs. Catholic vs. Orthodox. We can debate the Protestant canon vs. the Catholic canon vs. the Orthodox canon. We can debate cessationist vs. Pentecostal. Just so, the cause of truth is best served by a free, open, serious, and full debate between the various sorts of trinitarians, oneness, and the various sorts of unitarians.

White’s excuse that *he* goes by the Bible while others (like me) are all influenced by “philosophy” – that just doesn’t hold water. My views on these topics are primarily (really, nearly completely) Bible-motivated, and he too has been subject to philosophical influences and assumptions. Anyone who’s familiar with my work will notice that I carefully avoid controversial philosophical speculations, while stick carefully to logic, to careful reasoning and common sense. Frankly, White speculates more than I do.